2 fake cops nabbed in Lagos

Two middle-aged men who were armed with handcuffs, teargas canisters and dressed in police uniforms, were recently nabbed by operatives of the Lagos State anti-crime patrol, the Rapid Response Squad (RRS).
The duo, identified as Lawal Hakeem, 43, and Abiodun Ibrahim, 32, were spotted by policemen at Mile 2 while frisking a middle-aged man.
The RRS commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police Olatunji Disu, told Daily Trust that his men, on noticing the action of the fake policemen, went after them. 
According to him, when confronted, Hakeem claimed he was a constable attached to Ojo police station.
“They smartly identified themselves as police officers, hoping that the policemen would let them go. But my men quickly confirmed that their statements were lies,’’ he said, adding that Hakeem has a history of fake policing.
However, upon further interrogation, Abiodun Ibrahim confessed that he was not a police officer but an intimate friend of Hakeem. He said he was trying to settle a dispute between Hakeem and one private car driver when the police arrested them, Disu said. 
Our reporter reliably learnt that Hakeem was dismissed from the police in 2014, but he has been parading himself as an officer. It was also learnt that he was arrested some time in 2014 and convicted for impersonation.
 Hakeem, who lives at No 16, Shittu Ajiron, Ajangbadi in Ojo Local Government Area, also confessed that he was dismissed from the police force in July 2014.
He said, “I got enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force on April 4, 1989 with force number 180939. But I was dismissed from the force last year due to absenteeism from work after the death of my wife. Since that time, things have not been easy for me. I was only parading myself as a police officer as a means of livelihood. I am appealing to the police to forgive me. I swear that I will not do it again.’’